Betrayal
by uoduck
Summary: Connor Black, formerly Harry Potter, experiences betrayal of the worst sort. The Ministry of Magic drugs him then hands him over to a muggle terrorist organization and bids him goodbye. Harry Potter/Tony Stark/Loki.
1. Chapter 1

AN: I don't own either Iron Man or Harry Potter.

* * *

Connor wearily paced the length of the cell, staring at the door from time to time. It was as always warded against him; the petty ministry had made sure to include that in the deal.

"Connor, you'll wear yourself out," Yinsen remarked then glanced at the door too. "You don't want them to drug you again, do you?"

Connor sighed and went to sit on his cot, turning to look at Yinsen who had become his friend in the first day.

"No, I don't," Connor replied quietly, scratching softly at his curved ear. "Just... I have a strange feeling."

Yinsen raised an eyebrow at him then glanced at the door too. "What kind of strange feeling?"

"Like we're about to have company," Connor answered.

"Our captors?" Yinsen questioned, getting to his feet.

"No, well, yes. But like there will be a third person sharing our cozy living space as well," Connor drawled.

Yinsen rolled his eyes and they lapsed into comfortable, if a little wary, silence.

* * *

The minute that the door to their cell opened, Connor and Yinsen moved back to the rock wall and held their hands up.

Connor watched as their captors stalked in, bringing in someone on a stretcher. The leader of the Ten Ring's terrorist group walked in behind them with the customary guards waiting by the door, pointing rifles at Connor and Yinsen both. The dark wizard that had kept Connor in line was also at the door, smirking at him. Connor glared at him then recoiled as one of the other guards raised a rifle and shot him. It was as always a dart gun with a mix of drugs in it, designed to keep Connor obedient and to keep him from using his magic or any of the elements to escape.

Connor winced and swayed a minute, feeling sweat start to pool on his body. He glared at the guards and the wizard. "_Trou du cul!" (____asshole__)_

The leader started to shout something at Yinsen then pointed at a few of the guards then at the guy on the stretcher. The guy on the stretcher was whimpering in pain and writhing. There was blood leaking out from a spot on his chest, along with cuts and bruises all over his body. There were rudimentary bandages on his chest but there was blood leaking through them.

"Yinsen, what's he saying?" Connor murmured.

Yinsen stared at the leader then turned to Connor. "He wants us to fix the man up."

"Like heal him?" Connor asked.

Yinsen nodded, watching as the guards wheeled the stretcher into the middle of the cell. He started to ask about supplies, ordering the guards to bring hot water, bandages, and the few medical supplies that they had. Connor cautiously followed Yinsen over to the stretcher and glanced down at the man.

"Yinsen, where do you want me? I can't heal but I can help in other ways," Connor murmured, staring at the man on the stretcher. He seemed familiar in some way but Connor couldn't place him.

"Keep him calm," Yinsen replied distractedly. "They won't let him be knocked out. Either that or they don't have anything to knock him out with. I wasn't quite sure."

Connor's eyes narrowed. "They're not... Oh merlin. This won't end well."

Yinsen glanced at him before going to wash his hands in a bowl of water. "Just do your best. I can't operate on him if he's writhing or fighting me."

"Okay," Connor replied, padding over to where the guy's head was. The guy stared at him, fear in his eyes and breathing quickly. His skin was ashen and there was sweat dripping down from his forehead. There was a thin layering of scruff below his mouth, almost forming a beard but not quite. The guy's eyes were wide and as soon as Connor came closer, he tried to hold up a shaky arm. Connor slowly reached out, keeping eye contact with the guy's dark brown eyes and slowly, gently grasped his hand.

"Easy," Connor whispered. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Okay, Connor, I'm starting," Yinsen said with a grim tone. "Guards are coming to hold him down. Keep him distracted. Well, at least until he passes out."

Connor frowned then turned back to the guy. "What's your name?"

The man stared right back at him then at their entwined hands then back at his face, gritting out a quiet, "Tony Stark."

Connor heard Yinsen gasp then he watched as Yinsen picked up an instrument. Tony's eyes followed Yinsen's movements and his breathing picked up even more. Connor winced and reached out with his other hand to cup Tony's face. Stark turned to focus on Connor as he had wanted, eyes still wide with fear.

"Tony, if I may call you that," Connor started. "Focus on me. You're going to be okay. Just listen to my voice. Don't look at anything but me. Shh. You're going to be okay."

The first scream was not surprising at all. Connor winced inwardly, feeling Tony tighten his grip on his hand. Connor kept on whispering reassurances throughout the procedure, even after Tony passed out.

* * *

Connor breathed a sigh of relief as Yinsen pronounced that he was done, only now attaching a feeding tube. Tony had long since passed out more than forty minutes ago. His screams had been heart wrenching even though Connor didn't know the guy at all. He watched as Yinsen walked over to the bowl of water and thoroughly wash his hands. The guards watched him but started to walk back to the door. By the time that Yinsen came back over to the table that they had moved Tony to, the guards were gone and they were alone.

Connor stared at Tony, eyes moving from the man's chest to the wires that were strapped to him from a car battery.

"Will he live?" Connor whispered, untangling his hand from Tony's and stepping back a few paces. He felt blood race from his head and he glanced down at his body: he was trembling. "Ah, fuck."

Connor quickly strode over to his cot and sat down. The drug that the terrorists had kept him exhausted, pliant and thus obedient by keeping him too tired to do anything. Hell, the only thing that had been keeping him standing had been Tony's death grip on his hand.

"Connor..." Yinsen started, eying him worriedly. "Don't tell me I have two patients to worry about."

"No, I'm fine. I'm only exhausted," Connor replied with a grimace. "So, what's the deal with the car battery?"

Yinsen sighed and stared down at their new roommate. "He'll live. I had to pluck pieces of shrapnel out of his chest but I couldn't find them all. The battery will keep the pieces from heading to his heart."

"And that's aside from the bigger injuries?" Connor asked, eyeing Tony worriedly. He himself had helped to bandage the smaller injuries, cleaning what he could. Tony's breathing was even, if a little shallow. But he was breathing.

"Yes. We'll have to watch him for the next 24 hours," Yinsen remarked.

"Okay, why don't you get some rest then?" Connor asked. "I'll watch him."

Yinsen glanced at Tony and frowned. "I met Stark at a conference last New Years."

"Hmm?" Connor enquired.

"He was drunk throughout it all," Yinsen replied, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Drunk? I take it, he's a Very Important Person," Connor asked.

"He owns Stark Industries," Yinsen offered, yawning a little.

Connor gave a noise of consideration. "I think I've heard of that company. Big weapons manufacturer, right?"

Yinsen nodded. "Yes."

* * *

Connor kept watch over Tony as Yinsen fell asleep. He stayed on the chair that he had commandeered as his own and occasionally murmured reassurances as Tony tossed and turned throughout the night. He ran his hand through the other man's hair soothingly as he heard Tony's breathing pick up. Connor eventually fell asleep with his hand in Tony's and his head on his own arm on the table.

* * *

The first time Tony woke up, it was the third night after the procedure. Connor and Yinsen were both taking a nap, alternating taking watch. He was woken by a scream and promptly jumped off the cot, opening his eyes in the air.

"Yinsen, what?"

"He can't be awake now," Yinsen informed him. "It's too early. Come help me get him back to sleep."

Connor strode over and stopped next to the table, staring down at Tony. The man's eyes were tightly closed and his body was trying to move itself into the fetal position. Connor winced and reached out a hand to place it firmly on Tony's hip and started to draw soothing circles with his thumb.

"Tony, you need to go back to sleep," Connor whispered then narrowed his eyes. "He's cold."

Yinsen glanced at him then to Tony. "How cold?"

"About cave temperature," Connor replied. "Which is not good, seeing as it's rather cold in here at night."

Yinsen turned to glance to the door then back at Connor with a pointed look. "You give off more heat than a normal human would."

Connor sighed. "Okay, I'll sleep with him. At least until he's properly lucid then we can see about getting a blanket for him. And a cot, too. A table just won't cut it."

Connor turned his attention to Tony, who was at least relaxed a little. His body wasn't as tightly strung as it had been just a few minutes ago. "That's it. Go back to sleep. You're safe."

Yinsen raised an eyebrow at him then nodded his head, going back over to his cot.

Connor strode over to his cot, grabbed his blanket then went back over to the table. He hoped the table would hold both their weight then recalled that he was lighter than a normal human was and gracefully climbed onto the table. He had taken the side that didn't have wires going between Tony and the smaller table beside him, his chest coming up to Tony's back. He spread the blanket over them both then watched Tony for a minute or two, making sure he was fully asleep before falling into dreamland himself.

* * *

AN:

I was thinking this could be either just Connor/Tony or it could eventually be Connor/Tony/Loki.

And the explanation for everything will be given in the next few chapters.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony startled awake at a loud noise, expecting it to be Dummy or You. He blinked his eyes open only to realize that his extremely vivid 'nightmare' had not been just a nightmare. He was in a dark cave with only a few lights and as far as he could see, no one with him. Though he remembered hearing a british accent after all the foreign accents; he remembered staring straight up into light green eyes as pain overwhelmed him. His stomach rolled and threatened to rebel.

"Easy. I don't want to clean up puke here, well, at least not without my magic."

Tony stared up at the man who was standing over him. He was tall, with rather long black hair, green eyes and a strange scar on his forehead. The other man was also slender and lithe... beautiful, even despite the dirt and various spatters of blood on his loose shirt.

Then Tony realized he was just staring at the guy and then took to glancing around the cave. His eyes were drawn to the other man in the cell then as he moved a little, he startled. His chest was …

"Easy, Tony. Easy."

The guy that was standing over him laid a gentle hand on Tony's hands, stilling them. Tony glanced down at his chest, his eyes widening at the car battery that was attached to his skin, right where his heart was. His heart started to race and he felt droplets of sweat fall down his forehead.

"What did you do to me?"

"Yinsen did that," the guy replied steadily, gesturing to the other man in the cave, removing his hand. Tony's own fingers clenched for a second then relaxed.

"Who?" Tony asked, or more like croaked out. His throat was hoarse and dry from thirst and... He shied away from remembering before.

The guy looked at him for a minute before turning to look at the door and sighing.

"I performed the operation that saved your life, Stark," the other guy called out, dropping the razor on a table and walking over towards Tony and the other man.

"What happened to me?"

"You were hit with a missile," the first guy quietly replied. "Long range too."

"I dug out the pieces of metal that I could," the second guy said, holding up a little baggy of shrapnel. "But there are still pieces left in your chest. Thus, the car battery and the electromagnet; it's keeping them from entering your heart."

Tony watched as the first guy strode over to the other side of the cave and bent down.

"We met once, you know."

"I don't remember," Tony remarked, sitting up.

"Well, you wouldn't, being that drunk."

"Here," the first guy came back over, carrying a cup. "This should help."

Tony stared at the guy, narrowing his eyes.

"It's okay. It's only water," the man offered, staring at Tony. The guy had some sweat dripping down his forehead like he had just run a mile. "You're throat must be dry."

Tony hesitantly took the cup, glanced in it and grinned cautiously. "How'd you get an ice cube here?"

The second guy turned sharply to look at the first man.

"I have my ways," the first guy remarked cryptically.

"Anyway, what are your names?" Tony asked, taking a sip of the delicious ice cold water.

"I-"

The minute that they heard a sharp rapping on the door, Tony watched as the two men stiffened and turned to stare at the cave door. They both gestured for him to stand up.

"What-"

"Do as we do!"

"But," Tony started, only for the first guy to wrap an arm around his waist and hoist him up, onto his feet. In turn, Tony didn't stiffen in the guy's arms; he kind of felt... safe?

"Do as we tell you to do, okay? And my name's Connor. That's Yinsen."

* * *

Connor watched, heart aching, as their captors dragged Tony out of the cave after Stark had refused to build the missile for them. He had tried to stop them but one of them had shot another dart at him, effectively putting an end to any thoughts of stopping them. The nameless dark wizard stared at him, smirked then cast crucio, holding it for a minute or two. Connor fell the ground, hearing whimpers coming out of his throat, as pain raced through his body. His breathing picked up, along with his heart, black spots coming into his vision.

He felt the spell lift after two minutes of torture and heard the wizard leave, shutting the door after him.

"Connor?"

"I... 'M okay, just give me a minute," Connor croaked out, slurring his words a little and flopping onto his back and spreading his arms and legs out. He rode the aftershocks of the pain out, letting his breathing even out a little before he sat back up.

"Are you going to tell Stark about your world?" Yinsen asked, staring at Connor with a worried frown.

"Yeah, I plan on it," Connor replied, standing up on shaky legs and going back to his cot and sitting down.

"But what about your ministry? Won't-" Yinsen started then trailed off at Connor's dark look.

"I don't give a shit about the ministry of magic does," Connor growled out. "Screw them! They put me here."

Yinsen sighed. "Okay. I may not fully understand your world but I understand betrayal of a government."

"And besides, fuck if I care if I out the whole wizarding world to one weapons manufacturer," Connor remarked. "And you of course."

"If they want to come running to erase your memories, they'll have to fight me first."

* * *

Connor paced around the cell, waiting for anything from the guards to come back with Tony to something. Possibly for one to come with a new cot and another blanket. After the first hour without anything happening, he sighed and went over to stare up at the pipe that was running in the cave. He took a breath and jumped lightly, catching a hold of the pipe and proceeded to do some pull-ups.

It was hard, what with the drugs still running through his system and some really minor after shocks of the cruciatus curse but he did exercises until the door was pushed open. Connor had surmised it to be a six or seven hours since Tony had first woken up and that had been an hour or so before lunch time. He dropped down from the bar and strode over to wait alongside Yinsen, staring at the door.

Tony was pushed through along with trays of food that stunk but that wasn't what drew Connor's attention. Tony had landed on the ground, clearly having been tortured. He was holding onto the car battery tightly enough that his knuckles were white. His hair was wet and his eyes were glazed over with fear and pain. There was a steadily darkening bruise on his forehead and what looked like the beginnings of a black eye. Tony was breathing shallowly and quickly, well on his way to hyperventilating.

Connor slowly strode over and knelt on the ground, making sure to not move too fast.

"Tony? You... Shhh," Connor murmured. "Tony, breathe. It's okay now."

Connor hesitantly reached out a hand to place it on Tony's shoulder, very lightly. Tony stared at him, still breathing heavily.

"Shhh. Breathe with me, okay?"

Connor moved his hand to grasp one of Tony's and pulled it to rest on his own chest.

"In... Out... Yeah, that's it. You're fine now. It's okay," Connor whispered. "Come on. You can have my cot for now."

Connor withdrew his hand after a while, instead wrapping it around Tony's waist and lifting him up onto his feet.

* * *

Tony followed Connor's urging hands and let the man help him up, consciously working on not curling up in the fetal position.

"M' not going to give-"

"I figured you wouldn't," Connor interrupted quietly, leading Tony over to a cot and helping him sit. Tony watched as Connor then backed up, standing next to Yinsen.

"You did?" Tony asked, frowning and bringing a hand up to the bruise on his forehead. "You hardly even know me."

Connor sighed. "Don't touch the bruise; it'll-"

"Ow."

Connor grinned lightly, the smile not reaching his eyes. "Yeah, that was what I was about to say. I don't have any stuff to tend to your bruise but just remember not to touch it, okay?"

Tony nodded cautiously. He was starting to get a headache.

"In answer to your question, I saw your expression when they dragged you out," Connor remarked quietly. "So, if they're going to continue this, they're not going to get what they want, are they?"

Tony sighed. "No, they want me to build them a Jericho. I'm not going to give them that."

Connor raised an eyebrow. "And that would be... a weapon?"

"Yes, it's a kind of automatic missile launcher," Tony replied. "It's new for Stark Industries."

Connor glanced at Yinsen then back at Tony. "Okay, I can understand why you wouldn't want them to have that."

Tony nodded wearily.

Connor sighed audibly when Yinsen gave him another significant look. Tony looked between the two, raising an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Tony, when you asked about the ice cube this morning, I said that I had my ways," Connor started, looking everywhere but at Tony.

Tony nodded. "Yeah, and that was entirely too cryptic for my taste, if you want my opinion."

Connor grinned. "Well, if you've noticed, I'm not entirely like normal humans."

"That you're-" Tony quickly closed his mouth, covering it with a hand. He wasn't sure if he completely trusted the guy; though he hadn't given Tony any reason not to trust him. But with the situation that he was in... better to be safe than sorry.

Connor raised an eyebrow at him and shook his head, only to pull his long black hair away from his ears. His curved and rounded ears. Tony gaped, jaw dropping.

"What... what are you?" Tony finally stammered out after a minute or two of silence. He glanced at Yinsen before deciding that he knew before staring at Connor again.

Connor glanced up at the camera before explaining. "I'm an elf."

"Like... Legolas kind of elf?" Tony asked, frowning a little. "And man, that doesn't even explain anything."

Connor grinned a little. "Yeah, kind of. Though I'm not from Tolkien's world. I was born in England and raised in England."

"Born as an elf?" Tony questioned.

Connor shook his head. "No. When I was seventeen, I grew into this body. I changed; growing taller, ears rounding and curving, body becoming more of what you see today."

"And people just accepted this?" Tony asked.

"Yes, they did. They were rather enamored of me, well more than they usually were," Connor said then grimaced. "Lot of good that did me at the end though."

Tony tilted his head, even more confused now. "You're saying no one put you under a microscope or anything?"

Connor winced.

"I... I'm sorry," Tony hurriedly added. He needed... needed, wanted someone to talk to. "I-"

"No, it's fine. Though no one had that reaction except for a few of my friends," Connor remarked, eyes going to a point behind Tony.

"Must have been shitty friends then," Tony replied dryly.

Connor laughed quietly. "Yeah, but back to the story. Tony, the reason why no one really looked at me odd and experimented on me was that I lived with a bunch of wizards."


	3. Chapter 3

Tony stared. "You've got to be shitting me."

Connor raised an eyebrow but shook his head. "Nope. Not a joke."

Tony glanced over at Yinsen who nodded then turned back to look at Connor. "So... wizards exist. And you're one, I take it?"

"Yeah, I'm one," Connor replied, glancing over at the door to the cave before returning his green eyes back to Tony.

"How... why do I not know this?"

"No one knows about wizards," Connor said. "Strictly speaking, it's against the law to tell anyone non-magical."

"Then why are you telling me? And why haven't you busted out of here already?" Tony asked. "And I assume you told Yinsen cause he's not freaking out."

Connor gave a laugh, though it wasn't... it was a bitter sounding laugh. "One of our lovely captors here is a dark wizard. That's why I haven't broken out. He warded the door to me so I can't go past it without getting seriously injured or, I suppose, even killed."

"Killed? Your magic can... kill?" Yinsen asked, narrowing his eyes. "I didn't know you or it could do that."

"There's a spell," Connor replied, shrugging a little. "But the wards over the door aren't a spell and I'm not going to risk that. They also dampen my magic to the point that I can't use it."

"But back to your other questions. I'm telling you Tony, because I don't give a shit about their laws anymore," Connor continued.

Tony raised an eyebrow.

Connor sighed. "My former friends and the government threw me in here after I came back from my... don't laugh... my elf training."

Tony snorted. "Your elf training?"

"Stark, don't make me come over there," Connor remarked, staring at him with a small grin.

Tony raised his hands innocently. "I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it," Connor offered then smiled wryly. "I underwent five years of training. How to use my elemental magic, how to meditate, how to move... The list went on and I enjoyed being in a place that was peaceful. I even learned a few things from a hawk and made a new friend."

"You learned... from a hawk?" Tony repeated, a little confused. "You do mean the bird, right?"

Connor grinned. "Not quite. But that's a story for another time. You need to rest."

Tony frowned then realized that he had forgotten where they were and promptly shuddered. He started to get up and shook for a minute, his ribs protesting. His vision went black briefly, waking up to arms holding him up and quiet murmurs.

"Tony, you didn't tell us they bruised your ribs," Connor whispered, shaking his head.

"'M fine," Tony retorted shakily, looking anywhere but at Connor, who was an inch or two taller than him.

"Is this going to be a thing?" Connor asked quietly. "You being too stubborn to admit to any injuries?"

Tony heard a rough sigh then, "Come on. You can use my cot for now."

"It's not like we can do anything about my ribs," Tony muttered, following Connor's urging hands yet again as the other man helped him back onto the cot.

"I'd still like to know," Connor replied, inclining his head a little. "Even if they did take the medical supplies."

* * *

Connor watched as yet again their captors dragged Tony and surprisingly enough Yinsen away for more torture. It was a week and a half later, a good two months since Tony had arrived and yet, Tony hadn't caved. Connor had also watched as Tony grew more and more... subdued and downcast. Connor of course helped him to settle after each 'session' but as rescue still hadn't come for the billionaire, the atmosphere in their cave had gone further and further downhill metaphorically.

They were still limited to two cots and Connor had taken to sharing his with Tony. At first, he had been more than willing to sleep on the cave floor. _I have slept on the ground a lot more than you, Stark._ But after the first few nights of waking up to Tony whimpering and shivering in his sleep, Connor had had enough and nonchalantly laid down with him for the nights after that. Tony had spluttered for a few seconds then amazingly enough, burrowed into him.

It had been a new thing this earlier though. The Ten Rings had dragged both Tony and Yinsen away and left him behind. And obviously that was because they didn't otherwise care about him other than to occasionally have the nameless wizard torture him. But it had seemed like they were... trying a different tactic or something? They had been gone for a few hours already so Connor didn't know what to expect.

But then again, the presence of Tony Stark actually made him hope again. He knew the guy was scary smart, probably even a genius and if Connor and Yinsen had even the slightest hint at an escape, Tony had just upped their chances.

Connor missed Teddy, wondered what had happened to Andromeda after she had told him that she was dying. Connor had been stuck here for a year without any chance of escape and he wondered what had happened to his kids too. Ginny had become withdrawn over the last few months that Connor had been around and he had started to worry. He missed little James, Lily and Albus just as much as he missed Teddy.

* * *

The minute that both Yinsen and Tony were pushed back through the door, Connor stood up from the cot and glanced at the two of them. Tony was holding the car battery in his arms, with white knuckled fingers but there was a determined look in his eyes too. Like he had finally figured something out. But he wasn't breathing heavily like he usually was after being dragged out. Connor turned to look at Yinsen, raising an eyebrow.

"Yinsen?"

"Alright, I'm going to need some supplies here," Tony called back to the still open door.

Connor glanced between Yinsen and Tony then at the guards at the door. As soon as Tony had called back to them, there was a flurry of motion; soldiers came running with missiles, metal debris and a lot of other things that they weren't using. Yinsen shuffled over to Connor and stared at Tony.

"He said yes," Yinsen remarked then strode to where Tony was trying and failing to get the guard to understand something.

Connor's jaw dropped in dismay, his feet already moving to stand on Tony's other side. "You're really-"

Connor started, eyes widening as Tony dragged him to a corner of the cave that the camera did not see.

"I'll explain later," Tony said, staring at him for a minute then went to survey the moving of the equipment into their cave.

Connor stood there and smiled, hope blooming in his chest even more. They would get out of here! Then he had a serious bone to pick with the minister of magic and he would make sure to go in ready to apparate at a moment's notice.

* * *

Tony sat on the chair stock still, letting Yinsen take the car battery out and exchange it for the miniature arc reactor that he had built. Connor was standing on the other side of him, eyeing Tony's injury then the arc reactor.

"Are you sure that will provide the same aid as the car battery?" Connor asked quietly. "It's rather small."

"Of course I'm sure! My math is always correct," Tony answered, wincing a little as Yinsen dropped the arc reactor in and hooked it into the proper places. "And if I'm not, it's not like I don't..."

Connor raised an eyebrow at him then narrowed his eyes. "You are not dying here, not while I'm around."

Tony turned his head to look at the guy. "Well okay then."

Once Yinsen had pronounced that he was done, Tony led the two of them over to the work table. He pulled out the couple of pieces of sketching paper that he had drawn his idea on and gestured to it. Connor and Yinsen both bent over to take a more closer look for a minute or two.

Yinsen was the first to look up with a confused frown. "What's that suppose to do?"

"Flatten them down and look at them that way," Tony replied, not without a hint of smugness.

Connor glanced up at him, raised an eyebrow then reached out a hand to do just that, holding the papers down until they formed the iron armor.

"Whoa..." Connor trailed off.

Tony looked at him and grinned at his wide eyes.

"Is this a new design?" Connor murmured, glancing at Tony with excited, bright eyes.

Tony nodded.

"Well, that will certainly help," Yinsen remarked and was about to open his mouth to say more when the door clanged open.

Tony stiffened and followed Connor and Yinsen to standing up, away from the table when the guards gestured. The guards yelled at them in their language then lined up before them. Tony noticed out of the corner of his eyes that Connor stilled when a guy walked in with the guards. The guy had... robes on but they were more like they could be considered battle armor. The guy was also holding a stick in front of him and he was pointing it at Connor.

Tony was so focused on the guy with the stick that he didn't even notice that there was a guy standing at the table rifling through the papers.

The guy started to talk, something about Genghis Khan and bows and arrows. Tony didn't tune in until the guy mentioned Stark weapons.

"But today, whoever holds the latest Stark weapons rules these lands. And soon, it will be my turn," the guy slowly observed, turning to look at Tony with something closer to hunger in his eyes. However, Tony didn't think it was actual hunger; it was more like desire for weapons that would go boom.

The apparent leader of the terrorist group gestured to one of his men and at the guy holding the stick. The guy holding the rifle walked over to pull the poker out of the fireplace and strode over to Yinsen. A few more guys walked over to Tony's friend and forced him to his knees.

The guy with the stick walked over to stand a few feet from Connor. Tony watched as the guy with the stick muttered something and just like that, Connor screamed and he collapsed to the ground, twitching and writhing.

"What do you want?" Tony exclaimed, watching Connor with wide, fearful eyes. All of the color left his face and he could feel sweat starting to drip down his face. He turned to look at the leader then at Yinsen. His other friend was watching Tony and Connor, switching his gaze between them.

"What the fuck do you want? A due date?" Tony asked, raising his voice to be heard over Connor's screams. "I need them!"

He glanced at the guy with the stick and the guy was smiling and just when Tony was about to do something stupid, the leader of the group spoke a few words.

"Don't cross me. You have until tomorrow to assemble my missile."

And with that the leader gestured to his minions and they filed out of the room.

* * *

AN: I'm going to absolutely promise to write a Harry/Tony fic(in truth, I already have a plot bunny). So this will be Connor/Loki/Tony.

Also I'm graduating college in three and a half weeks, so that will leave me a lot more time to write. Which will be awesome!

And for people who are following "The Hybrid", don't worry about me loosing interest in it. I'm writing a prequel which will hopefully be up and posted within a week.


	4. Chapter 4

Tony cautiously shuffled over to hover over Connor, hearing Yinsen come over behind him.

"Connor?"

A low muffled moan came from Connor's relative direction. Connor's body was still shaking; the real shudders had dropped off a minute after their captives had left. His long black hair was in disarray and Tony could see drops of sweat dripping down Connor's forehead.

"What the hell was that?" Tony exclaimed, watching Connor slowly, so very slowly, uncurl from the fetal position he had taken. There was another moan or a whimper from Connor then Yinsen spoke.

"He may need..." Yinsen trailed off quietly, staring at Connor with a grimace.

"What?" Tony said. "He may need what?!"

"This was bad. He may need, at least, an anchor of a kind," Yinsen replied.

"An anchor?" Tony winced at yet another louder whimper coming from the elf(Tony was still having trouble processing that part of the explanation).

"Human contact," Yinsen murmured. "It's worked in the past."

Tony saw Yinsen crouch down on his knees and reach out. "Go, Stark. Work on your suit. You two need to get out of here."

Tony stiffened and looked at Yinsen, narrowing his eyes. "Aren't you coming with us?"

"Of course."

"And wait, the past?" Tony asked as he went to start work again. "You're saying that... spell has been used on him before?"

He heard Yinsen sigh. "Yes, though not within your sight. And sometimes before you came."

Tony saw Yinsen slip his hand into Connor's open and visible one before focusing on typing commands on the computer.

"How long have you guys been here?" Tony asked.

"'M awake."

Tony raised an eyebrow and glanced down at Connor, who was starting to stretch. Yinsen removed his hand and stood up, coming to stand alongside Tony.

"Okay, what the hell was that?" Tony asked again, pulling the things he would need to work with the metal suit toward him.

Connor groaned and sat up, stretching as he did. "That was one of the Unforgivable Curses, otherwise known as one of the spells that would get someone thrown in wizarding prison if he or she cast it. It targets the mind, making you think that you're in pain when you're actually not."

Tony shuddered as he pulled on the leather apron and gestured to Yinsen to start the forge. "How am I going to make it through the cave if that guy is out there? You couldn't do anything to stop him."

Connor slowly stood up and came to stand on the other side of the forge and stared at Tony. "I'm going to paint a few runes on your suit, once it's done."

"How's that going to help me?"

"They're going to protect you from any spells that are cast your way," Connor murmured."Then I'm going to need you to knock the guy unconscious when you're out so I can help you and you know, escape with you."

"Okay," Tony muttered distractedly then turned to look at Connor as they started to work.

* * *

"Tony, you need to rest," Connor murmured, placing a hand on Tony's shoulder after exchanging a glance with Yinsen. "It's been hours."

"I've gone days without sleeping," Tony retorted as he worked on adding weapons to the suit. "We need to finish this soon."

Connor's eyes widened then shook his head. "Days?"

"Besides, I don't want the other wizard to come in here again and cast that spell on you again," Tony muttered under his breath, yawning a little.

Connor stilled and sighed. "Okay. Just... here."

Connor moved his hand to in between Tony's warm shoulder blades and closed his eyes, pushing the tiniest bit of elemental magic into the other man's body. He made sure not to do anything else, for fear of the wards activating. But as the wards were clued into his wizarding magic, they didn't activate. He hadn't told anyone about his elemental magic, only his mentors knew.

Tony stiffened briefly then turned around, eyes wide. "What did you do?"

"Gave you some energy," Connor murmured. "It won't last long but it'll be enough to get you through tonight and some of tomorrow morning."

"What about you?"

"I can cope," Connor replied softly. "You're more important right now is all."

* * *

Tony fidgeted in the suit of armor, letting Connor sketch out a few of those runes of his on the metal. Tony didn't exactly understand how they would work but he trusted the guy. Connor had drawn whatever the hell a rune was on both of the boots then one each on both of the shoulders. All four of them hidden and drawn with... Tony didn't know what Connor had drawn them with. But he had looked very focused on drawing them, closing his eyes and touching a long, slender finger down onto the metal.

"Say it again," Yinsen ordered quietly, putting the finishing touches on the armor. The computer the armor was attached to was booted up and the three of them had fixed a bomb to the cell door before Tony had gotten into the armor. The air was rife with anticipation, both from himself and visibly from Connor. In addition to anticipation, Tony could also see pent-up frustration and something akin to... power? But not, like there was strangled power hidden underneath and it was all but ready to lash out and was only waiting to be free of the wards.

Tony repeated the directions that Yinsen had given him as Connor finished with his magic. Tony would so be studying Connor when they got home; he was intrigued as to how Connor used magic.

"I'm done here," Connor remarked, backing up a few inches and looking Tony over.

Just as Tony was about to explain to Yinsen how to start up the suit, the three of them heard shouting through the door. Connor turned to look at the door and the bomb they had placed over it.

"We don't have a lot of time," Connor said, grimacing a little. "Start the suit up."

Yinsen turned to look at Tony, hovering over the computer to which the suit was hooked up. "Tell me when a loading bar appears."

"And there they go," Connor observed dryly as the cave door was opened and the bomb blew. The explosion rocked the cave a little and smoke billowed outward as the guards shouts were silenced.

"It's ready," Yinsen called out over the increased shouting of other guards racing their way. Yinsen was staring back and fourth between the computer and the now blasted open cave door.

Tony explained to Yinsen how to get the suit working and that was when the lights went out.

"Tony, did you wire the bomb with their power cords?" Connor enquired idly, backing up to stand alongside Yinsen.

"Maybe."

Connor snickered then stiffened. "How much longer until the suit's working?"

Tony stared at Yinsen then the computer. The shouting was growing louder by the minute, sounding angrier and angrier.

"It's at 65%," Yinsen responded, glancing at Connor then at the door. "Is he—"

"Yeah," Connor said. "He's coming. Tony, can you use the weapons you installed yet?"

Tony hesitated. "It needs a minute after it's done loading."

"A minute?" Connor repeated, a little shakily then turned as Yinsen moved away from them.

Yinsen stared at the both of them then ran to the door, picking up a rifle from one of the dead guards.

"Yinsen? What the hell are you doing?" Connor exclaimed.

"Buying you guys some time."

Tony gaped at Yinsen's retreating back then glanced at Connor. The other man gaped then steadied himself.

"Here, put this on," Connor urged, bringing up the helmet and helping Tony to place it on his head. "It's at full power now. GO!"

* * *

Connor watched as Tony, now in the iron suit, pulled away from the many cords that were tying him to the computer and power source. He fidgeted a little then ran over to one of the more darker corners of the cell, hoping to evade the wizard that was just now turning down the hallway toward their cell.

Connor heard panicked yelling and shouting as Tony created chaos around him. These guys had never seen a suit of armor like this before. Connor had never seen this kind of thing before. He idly wondered what other kinds of things Tony had developed.

He felt the moment when the wards disappeared. It was like a dark cloud was removed from his sky and his magic settled and his whole body sighed in relief.

Connor ran out of the cell, bringing up his right hand and conjuring a ball of flame to see. There were bodies of terrorists on the ground, either unconscious or dead. He hoped unconscious, for Tony's sake.

When he reached the unconscious wizard though, he stilled. Yinsen was lying on the ground right next to him. Connor knelt down and searched for a pulse, ready to not find anything. He still sighed and closed his eyes briefly when he didn't find anything.

"Thank you. For everything. Go find your wife and children," Connor murmured. "They're probably waiting for you."

Connor stood up and stalked over to the unconscious wizard, casting a permanent vicious hex on the guy.

"If I see you again, don't expect to walk away. I'm not the Boy-Who-Bloody-Lived-Twice for nothing."

* * *

"Stark, you okay?"

Tony slowly turned around at Connor's voice. The elf was coming toward him at a fast run, jumping over some of the bodies. He was at the edge of the cave, almost at the exit. The terrorist's leader was dead under a bunch of debris.

"I'm okay," Tony replied. "You?"

"I'm good," Connor remarked, holding up a hand and...

Tony's eyes widened at the small flame that appeared.

"What?" Connor exclaimed.

"You said... I didn't actually..." Tony trailed off.

"Yeah, I can use elemental magic," Connor offered with a small grin. "Now, let's get out of here."

* * *

Once free of any bullets coming at him, Tony ignited the jetpacks on his suit and waved Connor over. The other man was blowing up any weapons and ran over.

"Go on. I'll follow," Connor yelled. "It'll be dragged down if you carry me."

"But-"

"GO! I'll follow."

* * *

"Oomph."

Tony groaned as he hit the sand, a few miles away from the cave and the terrorists. He glanced around at the scattered bits and pieces of his suit and sighed, part in relief, part in disappointment. The sun felt like it was glaring at him so he cautiously stood up, sweat dripping down his forehead.

He glanced around the sand dunes, looking for Connor. He didn't see anything but then he heard the beating of wings? He glanced up and gaped at what looked like a horse but then it didn't have a horse head. Nor did the front legs look to be hooves.

The creature flew toward him and came to a hovering stop a few inches in front of him.

"Connor?"

The animal looked him in the eyes then floated down to perch lightly on the sand, walking the last few inches to Tony.

"What the... Are you a griffin?"

The animal looked at him, mischief in its eyes, and nodded, turning to the side and presenting its back. The black wings fluttered in the air, feathers all in tune.

Tony gaped, still not understanding.

"You can turn into a griffin?"

Now the animal turned its head and glared at him, making a sort of whuffling noise. Tony watched as it lowered its back to the ground and waited.

"I don't know how to ride," Tony muttered but did as the animal suggested and slowly sat down on its' back. "I don't know if I'm hallucinating or- Ow!"

The animal had whapped him in the head with its' left wing then started to take off, trotting lightly over the sand dunes.

Tony glared at him but Connor, as it was Connor, ignored him.


End file.
